Recap: NY Mets vs. Los Angeles

Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Mark Ellis showed surprising power Tuesday as the veteran carried the Los Angeles Dodgers past the New York Mets, 7-2, in the opener of a three-game series at Citi Field.

Ellis went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI, including a tie-breaking three-run blast in the seventh inning that sent the Dodgers to their second straight win on the heels of a six-game slide.

"It felt good to get hits when we needed them," Ellis said.

A.J. Ellis added a two-run double and Justin Sellers went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for Los Angeles, which saw ace Clayton Kershaw labor through five innings and allow two runs on three hits and four walks.

Ronald Belisario (1-2) earned the win for a Dodgers bullpen that allowed one hit over four scoreless innings.

Daniel Murphy had half of New York's four hits and drove in a run as the club fell for the fifth time in seven games. The Mets were forced to use five relievers after starter Jon Niese took a comebacker off his leg in the third inning and was forced to exit.

Mark Ellis, whose one-hopper back to the mound caused Niese's early exit, hit a solo shot off Robert Carson in the fifth to tie the game at 2-2.

It was the 100th homer of his career, and he added to that total in the seventh when he turned on 2-2 offering from Brandon Lyon (1-1) and cleared the wall down the right-field line. Sellers singled and Juan Uribe walked ahead of the two-out blast.

A.J. Ellis doubled in a pair in the eighth to account for the final margin.

Niese walked the bases loaded in the second and Sellers drove in Adrian Gonzalez with the game's first run on a looping base hit to right.

A pair of two-out, RBI singles from Murphy and David Wright put the Mets on top in the third.

Game Notes

Mark Ellis has three career multi-home run games, the last coming on June 17,
2008 ... Niese, who is being listed as day-to-day with a contusion on his
right leg, was charged with one run on three hits and three walks in 2 1/3
innings ... Mets outfielder Juan Lagares, recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas
before the game, recorded his first career hit in the seventh inning.